White House Cheat Sheet: Obama's Edge

President Obama has the public on his side as he prepares to address Congress tonight. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Obama will face an divided Congress in his first prime-time address this evening but polling suggests he and his administration are already receiving a far warmer welcome from the American public.

A whopping 68 percent of the sample approved of the job Obama has done thus far while just 25 percent disapproved. A look inside those numbers -- thanks to Jon Cohen and Jenn Agiesta, the Post's polling duo -- shows that while Obama's job approval numbers are predictably high among Democrats (90 percent approve) and even Independents (67 percent), he also is polling favorably among one in every three (37 percent) self-identifying Republicans.

Asked whether they trusted Obama or Republicans in Congress to do a better job of handling the economy, six in ten (61 percent) sided with the chief executive while roughly one in four (26 percent) opted for congressional GOPers. Among crucial independent voters, 62 percent trust Obama more on the economy while just 23 percent side with Republicans.

These numbers are a stark reminder that even as Republicans -- led by the likes of Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.), who will deliver the official GOP response tonight and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) -- appear to be digging in their heels in opposition to the president's agenda, broad swaths of the American public are supportive of where Obama has taken the country during his first month in office.

History shows, however, that presidential popularity can be fleeting. In February of 1989 then President George H.W. Bush had more than three-quarters of voters (76 percent) approving of his handling of the job in Post/ABC polling; four years later he was out of said job, defeated by former president Bill Clinton.

And, the Republican strategy -- at least on the economic stimulus package -- appeared to be far more directed at motivating their base and returning to so-called "core principles" than in reaching out to swing and independent voters. The Post/ABC poll suggests that tactic has worked as Obama's job approval has dropped 25 points among self-identified Republicans since the transition period.

Regardless of the rationalizations, the polling data out of the Post -- along with similar data from the New York Times and CNN -- suggest that Obama is very much in the driver's seat as he prepares to address the joint session of Congress tonight.

Sked Stuff: President Obama's schedule is almost entirely clear today -- with the exception of a brief appearance with the Japanese prime minister -- so that he can prepare for tonight's address. The message is clear: the stakes are high in this first prime time speech for the new president and he and his team know it. Obama is, typically, at his best in these "major" speeches so there will be high expectations on him to deliver not just soaring rhetoric but specific policy proposals.

Jindal Excerpts (Sort Of): No, we don't have them -- not for lack of trying. But, the Louisiana governor, in spite of his insistence that he has no interest in running for president in 2012, is offering a preview of his remarks later today for anyone willing to offer their email address up at bobbyjindal.com. That approach allows Jindal to harvest emails from around the country and go back to them -- when and if he decides to move on the national level. (Obama did something similar through his Hopefund PAC in late 2005.) Expect Jindal to touch on many of the themes he hit on during a solid appearance on "Meet the Press" on Sunday -- opposition to Obama's economic stimulus plan but a pledge to work with the president when possible coupled with an introspective look at what's wrong with the Republican Party and how to make it right by a return to core principles.

Locke a Lock: As we reported yesterday on the Fix, former Washington state Gov. Gary Locke is very likely to be the next commerce secretary designate -- the third such nominee for the job in the first month of the Obama administration. Celinda Lake, who handled polling for Locke during his eight years as governor, said he "understands the global economy and especially the challenges as well as opportunities of Asian markets" and added: "He's scrupulously honest and if he were audited the government would owe him a refund." In light of the departures of Obama's first two Commerce nominee as well as a series of other Cabinet missteps, Lake's second point may be the most important. Locke is, above all else, confirmable, which is exactly what Obama needs right now.

White House Not A-Twitter: Amid the Twitter craze currently sweeping political Washington, White House aides are bystanders. Why? Because of network-protection issues those within the White House can't use Twitter -- the micro-blogging site that allows you to share your thoughts on, well, anything in 140-character chunks. Too bad, so sad. The best solution? Follow The Fix -- and The Hyper Fix -- for all the latest on the happenings at the White House.

Bunning Bashes Ginsburg, Apologizes (Sort Of): Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), already the most vulnerable incumbent seeking reelection in 2010, stepped in it big time over the weekend in a speech to a local Republican group. Speaking of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bunning said: "Even though she was operated on, usually, nine months is the longest that anybody would live after [being diagnosed] with pancreatic cancer." Yeesh. On Monday, Bunning apologized to Ginsburg who had returned to the bench the same day. Meanwhile, the Hill reported that David Williams, the president of the Kentucky state Senate, sat down with officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee to discuss a primary challenge to Bunning.

DCCC's Frontline: Seeking to quickly shore up its most endangered incumbents, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released its "Frontline" members on Monday. The 21 Frontline members receive dedicated help from the DCCC -- financially and organizationally -- in hopes of solidifying their standing before the election year turns. Two-thirds of the Frontliners were elected in 2008; the seven veterans on the list are: Reps. Leonard Boswell (Iowa), Michael Arcuri (N.Y.), Chris Carney (Pa.), Bill Foster (Ill.), Gabby Giffords (Ariz.), Baron Hill (Ind.) and Steve Kagen (Wis.). The entire program will be overseen by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) and Chris Murphy (Conn.) -- two rising stars within the caucus.

Tucker to Cato, Writing Book: Tucker Carlson, a Fix friend, has landed at the Cato Institute as a senior fellow. From that perch, Tucker will be writing a book on "American polity" (whatever that is), according to a release from Cato. (The release also includes Tucker using the word "samizdat," which is pretty awesome.) The Fix spoke with Tucker late yesterday and he clarified that his book will be focused on libertarianism. We await it expectantly. Tucker is also a -- sort of -- Post contributor; his "Balance of Power" live online chat with Air America's Ana Marie Cox is must-read stuff.

Say What?: "The helicopter I have seems perfectly adequate to me." -- President Obama offers his thoughts on building a new presidential helicopter in closing remarks at yesterday's fiscal responsibility summit.

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Comments

I think everything is going great for the Confederate republicans. We could have a 2012 ticket with Sarah & Bobby & Joe the plumber as their press guy. I love it & wish I could send them money to help get that trio to run the nest in 2012.. The one thing I really can't understand is "WHY" are the rest of the Dem's not speaking out & showing the JOKE that the Confederate republicans really are. Why don't we see them show one picture of George W Bush talking about tax cuts & then cuts of today's Confederate republicans saying the same thing. We should see daily Dem's on TV & the radio talking about how the Confederate republican are the same as they were under Bush. We know Obama does not want to do that but lets see the rest of the Dems do it for all of us. Last night I saw Nancy's daughters movie on HBO & it scared the hell out of me. Those poor, stupid, pathetic, dumb, out of touch with reality people frighten me more then any Arab in the world. The very people who should hate the Confederate republicans who could care less about the poor & middle class, those people should be standing in line to join Unions, vote for Dem's are the very poor stupid people loving it while the Confederate republican give the rich billions of dollar's in tax breaks while they starve to death for lack of food, jobs & education. How sad to see the real America they think they are, how really sick to me stomach I was after seeing & listening to them compare Obama to Hitler, how very sad this nation really is to have produced these poor stupid sick small brained people that call themselves "real Americans" Thank goodness they are where they belong, 'FAR AWAY FORM US"....

HEY ZOUK - Why not show some bravery and go post, as King of Zouk, please, on Huffington Post. You are just a sad little mixer - you like to let the people who actually CARE get upset with your comments. You're like a rat terrier. Why not post somewhere yo can actually have an intelligent debate? Afriad there might be people smarter than you? NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRR. It must be lonely in your sad little universe.

Truman did it!! Hoover did it!! Eisenhower did it!!
And
OBAMA CAN DO IT!!!!!
Create Jobs for LEGAL AMERICANS & SOLVE our immigration problem…
Back during The Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the
deportation of ALL illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work.
Harry Truman deported over two million Illegal's after WWII to create Jobs for returning Veterans.
And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican nationals! The program was called 'Operation Wetback' so that American WWII and Korean veterans had a better chance at jobs.
It took 2 years, but they deported them!
Now, if they could deport the illegals back then, they can sure do it today!! Take back our country!
If you have doubts about the veracity of this information, enter Operation Wetback into your favorite search engine and confirm it for yourself.
They abuse and overcrowd our school system & medical facilities never paying & don't pay taxes... The people that hire them should be fined and put in jail also...
Reminder::: Don't forget to pay your taxes...
12 million Illegal Aliens are depending on you!

Bunning’s remark regarding Justice Ginsburg was the most appalling statement I have ever heard from an elected official. I know nothing of Bunning’s family circumstances and the health of his relatives, butt I can only wonder if he’s in the practice of laying odds on the longevity of elderly parents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, etc. each time one of these individuals becomes seriously ill. We’re all entitled to disagree with the political leanings of others but to evidence a concealed delight in his conclusion that a liberal Justice of the Supreme Court is nearing the end of her life is a clear indication that he sees his political foes as something less than human; a characteristic he seems to share with a great many other Conservative voices.

"A backhoe full of bs and lies. How utterly nauseating. Not one single truth to be found. Empty as it has been all along."

Oh, so you did see Bobby Jindal's speech then? Trying to channel his inner Reagan, government is the problem, irresponsible spending, need more tax cuts, yada yada. Really in tune with America.

How about that Katrina anecdote? He wasn't in LA when the storm hit, and from all anyone could tell only viewed NO by helicopter three days later, doing all his interviews from Baton Rouge. With such a powerful anecdote for his philosophy, why is this the first time we're hearing about it?

He wasn't talking about it three days later while discussing the response:

I am with David Brooks - Jindal has chosen the wrong side in the R's intramural debate. And he must have disappointed them with his stilted and not quite natural delivery.

The Prez got more applause across the aisle in one speech than the previous two totaled, as far as I can recall. Good speech - with enough reminder of "can do" and personal responsibility to project leadership.

The Greedy Oil Party hates earmarks and pork — except the ones its members sponsor

WASHINGTON — "Republicans are expected to deliver a daylong rant Wednesday against Democratic spending legislation, yet the bill is loaded with thousands of pet projects that Republican lawmakers inserted.

Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, included $142,500 for emergency repairs to the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum in Austin, Texas. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., joined state colleagues to include $1.425 million for Nevada "statewide bus facilities." The top two Republicans on Congress' money committees also inserted local projects.

In all, an estimated $3.8 billion worth of specific projects, called "earmarks," are in the $410 billion spending bill that the House of Representatives is to vote on Wednesday. Easy passage is expected. The Senate is expected to act soon, too, since federal agencies will run out of money a week from Friday unless new funds are enacted."
.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/62742.html
.

Now that Repuglicans are in the Minority where they belong and hopefully will stay, we get to hear ad nauseum about how the Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility just trying to keep the free spending Democrats from running up deficits. Now there is a quick and easy way to debunk that claim.

Republicans increased the deficit as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 20% since WWII. They can thank Ike for it not being much worse. Democrats, on the other hand decreased the deficit by 48%, a 68% swing! Rinse and Repeat.

As a US Senator, McCain could have stopped the high-priced Marine One helicopter EIGHT YEARS AGO when it was first approved, rather than wait until after losing by a landslide to try and pin it on Obama.
After thirty six years in the Senate, the only thing John McCain has changed is his tune... but now he's changed it again.

If the public is more behind Obama than is congress (meaning republican members of congress), then it sound like certain members of congress need to listen more closely to the people who elected them.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm not holding my breath, because I see what going on here: republican congressional opposition to Obama is all about party, not about what's best for my country. These republicans have taken their little stand and are betting on Obama's failure to resurrect their party. That's a high stakes game, people, given both the mess we're in and the distinct likelihood Obama is going to succeed.

And you can only talk the talk without walking the walk for so long before people stop listening to you at all.

I have suspected since the day taxidermied McCain was made the only viable GOP choice-- and obviously-qualified Hillary Clinton was discredited and sold out by everyone who should know better ---that we all would be offered up was bottom-line a shiny, new scapegoat.

All through this campaign I blogged that the most important thing about the next president would be whether he plays well with others. Meaning Congress.
And we insisted on installing yet another Imperial President firmly locked into viewing a media-mirror telling him that l'etat c'est moi.

Look at it from the Congressional viewpoint.

Why should they roll over for Obama? The alternative is to let him screw up just long enough to step back and let the Big Boys fix it.
Preaching hop on d change mean not a thing when what you are really dealing with is fueled by the reason Congress is supposed to do its job: pragmatism and precedent.

Let me make it clear that I'm not defending them not falling into line behind Obama. I just can see why Obama is not the person that is ever going to make them want to do that. Ever.

After all, they are cut from the same politician's cloth as Obama and just as Darwinian. And as immune as some of the rest of us are to rhetoric.

Everyone was so high on Obama Campaign Kool Aid that they just assumed it was permanently on tap everywhere on Capitol Hill.
It's not, and never was, and we are now stuck with a man who has never known a priority that wasn't innately All About Obama.

Knowing how to campaign and how to run things are about to be defined as two very separate skills.
While we need the best surgeon that ever lived, we are bleeding from the thousand cuts of ineptitude wrought by a fancy new knife.
It's like watching a four yearlong episode of House. And Senate, too.
The one doctor who we need to pray we'll never meet-- because he inevitably ends up as torturer for even the simplest diagnosis --is now going to spend four years blindly poking at us.

All we can pray for is that the Clinton Cabinet can fake it and Bill Clinton at some point cuts a deal that makes Obama a one-timer in exchange for the right answers.

Think I'm bluffing? Watch how much time Bill Clinton is about to spend in D.C.

And he is not about to be spending it shovelling lobster bisque lunches into trough-fed pundits while the rest of us are reading double digit unemployment figures.

thebabenemo wrote-Was just in whitehouse.gov.
They have a slideshow of the Presidential pets too. Love the website. It is packed with information.
Maybe President Obama will announce the pet tonight too.

-----------------------------------------
Or better than that maybe he will break into one of his dance routines. His voters really like that.

edbro wrote-Who wants a sitting president to fail? Certainly only a masochist since we all share this boat. That said, the political game goes on and it is easier to sit on the sidelines and throw bricks than to lead.

How can anyone be surprised at simple reality?

----------------------------------------
No one wants to see him fail but it would be nice if he would show a little leadership. The sky is falling cry is not working.

Who wants a sitting president to fail? Certainly only a masochist since we all share this boat. That said, the political game goes on and it is easier to sit on the sidelines and throw bricks than to lead.

"Ethel C. Fenig
The classic children's fable has been updated for the times but the moral remains the same.

Once upon a time a little red hen called all of her Obama stimulus supporting neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"

[Stuff in the middle omitted for mental health reasons]

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.

Posted by: king_of_zouk | February 24, 2009 3:27 PM"
_________________
Er, King, is your point that your mom is trying to grow wheat to make snickers bars to bring down to you to eat in your parents' basement? That won't work. Plus, last time, I checked they aren't growing wheat in Newark.

I heard one commentator say this is first time he can remember when congress had higher ratings than business leaders. And of course Obama has higher ratings than either.

We just finished eight years of unbridled greed where ordinary people and families were left really hurting. I don't think we as the voting public believe there is a lot to be accomplished by rich people continuing to acquire huge amounts or politicians just standing around saying, "No, No, No."

That's why business leaders are in such disrepute, but the president and that portion of congress which is really trying to do things to dig us out of this are held in higher esteem.

Most people in the United States wish to see this President succeed. Why, ask the doubters? Because if HE succeeds, ALL of us succeed.
So, of course, President Obama has an "edge". We all can see that he is working every waking moment to see to it that his country is saved and succeeds.
Philosophical and politically ideaological points end up being beside the point to the masses of citizens who are frightened out of their minds because they might, any day, be entirely left with NOTHING.
Republicans, of course, are not interested in that. They are interested in regaining political power and they do not care who is sacrificed in their quest.

Mr. President Barack H. Obama, spoke with the up most elequence of any speaker, majority or minority, as he always masterfully do's.

"YOU GUYS"
He then proceeded to call on the Democrats, Republicans, economist, business representitives and unions leaders, inviting questions and comments. He referred to the group generally as "you guys" and casually addressed even the moth senoir lawmaker by first name.

The Democrat very purposely started with, perhaps, the likeliest of all people-the Republican he vanquished in last fall's election, John McCain.

"You know, he and I had some good debates about these issue's"Obama said-an understatement to be sure and one that drew laughter. He also praised the Arizona senator as "extraordinarily consistent and sincere about these issue's."

"Well, thank you, Mr. President,"McCain said and quickly delved into the issue of cost overruns on large government buy's. "You helicopter is going to cost as much as Air Force One."

Using the opportunity to talk of purchasing process "gone amok" Obama said he had ordered a thorough review of his new fleet of Marine One helicopters.

"The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me," Obama said wryly, inciting more laughter. "Of course, I've never had a helicopter before. So, you know, maybe I've been deprived and I didn't know it."

Here's a link to the author Mark was referring to with an interview today. It makes for some serious reading/listening. I can just about guarantee that no one will agree with everything he says, but his logic is compelling:
"Is America Weighted Down By Dead Ideas"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100338745

Kept: 15
Compromised: 4
Broken: 2 (though in one case I'm not so sure about this designation; he pushed for it in the stimulus but Congress wrote it out of the final bill)
Stalled: 1
In the Works: 20
No Action: 468

Zouk gets funnier by the day. The sad thing is, I think he actually believes the nonsense he spews. He spends the bush years whining about busniess cycles and how everything was Clinton's fault, just delayed, but now- OMG, it all must be Obama's fault and the two years of Dem "leadership" (because they were Bush's lapdogs for two years)!! Riight.

Curious, though, you say the drop in the Dow coincides with the rise of Obama- so why did everything initially collapse after the RNC, at the time McCain was surging to the lead (Remember, Obama came back into the lead AFTER McCain's return to Washington and move to cancel the debate due to the financial crisis - about 18 September if I recall correctly)?? And beyond that, how is the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bears Sterns, and Morgan Stanley the fault of an administration that was six months off?

mark_in_austin _ i'm tracking it down. Unfortunately, unfettered and utterly insane free trade is alive and well. Everyone around Obama is a free trade true believer. I couldn't imagine anyone worse than Geithner, but the very mention of Locke, yesterday, having control of issuing even more H1-B, L-1 and other guest worker visas, ought to give any reader here nightmares. This man isn't just an idiot, he is an incompetent idiot. And Obama has sold out, backtracked on every economic promise he made during the campaign. I feel like a one man "movement" right now, but am dead certain that most of the country will be as utterly disgusted with him within 6 months.

MikeB did you ever see the link to the book about dead ideas that NPR featured? I posted it for you twice. The author makes a pretty good case that "free trade" is a dead idea. I do intend to read the book, as I was taught to favor [regulated] free trade as an economics major.

"Conservatism is dead". Don't be too sure of that. Right now people are getting desperate. As the hold of this depression really takes hold people will do ANYTHING to feed and clothe and house their family and, assuming they aren't stupid, some right/left winger will come along and promise to put the working people of this country first. Of course, they wont mean it, any more than Obama did, but people will hope...

I simply cannot fathom how you all sit out there blathering day in and out about who is to blame for this mess when any moron with internet access can tell you that we embarked upon the deregulatory disaster under Reagan and jumped off the free trade cliff under Clinton and the Democrats. BOTH Parties are to blame. Both have ponied up to the feed trough set by lobbyists sent out by corporations and Wall Street and those politicians' sold our jobs, our way of life, and our country out for their chance at the slop set before them. We need new leaders and new ideas and there are none to be had. So sink! But understand that Chuck Schumer and Chris Dodd and Barak Obama are as much to blame for your pain as Bush and Gramm and Boehner.

Never mind, Drindl, I found it at the IU web site [I did not consider "Indiana University" an author].
---------------------------------------
Maria Elizabeth Grabe and Erik Bucy, both associate professors in the Department of Telecommunications of IU's College of Arts and Sciences, report their findings in their book, Image Bite Politics: News and the Visual Framing of Elections (Oxford University Press).

"We don't think this is journalists conspiring to favor Republicans. We think they're just so beat up and tired of being accused of a liberal bias that they unknowingly give Republicans the benefit in coverage," said Grabe, who also is a research associate in political science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. "It's self-censorship that journalists might be imposing on themselves."

Grabe and Bucy's book is the culmination of the first major research project analyzing the relatively unexplored territory of visual coverage in presidential elections and how that influences public opinion. Between 1992 and 2004, they found, candidates were steadily shown more visually, in what they call image bites, while their verbal statements, or sound bites, decreased in average length.

They examined 62 hours of broadcast network news coverage -- a total of 178 newscasts -- between Labor Day and Election Day over four U.S. presidential elections between 1992 and 2004. Cable news outlets, including CNN and Fox News, were not included in their research.

Drindl, that was an interesting teaser about MSM bias, but you did not state who performed the study. It has me wondering if I saw more of Bob Dole than I recall, or if I ever saw a heroic pose for him. I always liked bob Dole, but except for a favorable PBS story on "Frontline" about his life I simply thought he was invisible in 1996.

Then again, I hardly ever watch anything but PBS. So I would like to know who performed this study.

"It’s a truism among conservatives that the media has a liberal bias, but a study of campaign coverage released by Indiana University has found that ABC, CBS, and NBC favored Republicans in each of the presidential elections from 1992 through 2004. The study, which is the “first major research project analyzing the relatively unexplored territory of visual coverage in presidential elections,” found that “production decisions” such as editing techniques, camera angles and shot lengths were more favorable to Republicans. The study also looked at “who is given the last say in a piece,” finding that “GOP candidates were favored in terms of having the last say in all but the 2004 election.”

there are degrees of conservatism that can be applied in certain circumstances, but on the whole, it's "ideology" is gone."

Several Repub governors are looking like they'll pick up the pragmatic conservatism that Reagan practiced (though he is not remembered for it). The modern conservative thinks a 28% tax rate is somehow comparable to the 70% rate that existed before the Reagan tax cuts. Which summarizes the whole problem: the movement has spent so much time celebrating his successes (and ignoring his failures) that they haven't bothered to figure out that the world has changed, as have the problems we face. The governors that have to actually solve problems are likely to eventually take over the party. I'm surprised to have to say it, but congressional repubs may have to lose another election before they figure out that the world has changed & left them behind.

pawn_of_limbaugh wrote: "Which coincides perfectly with the start of the PeLoony regime. and who says Libs don't know how to do certain things."

Yeah, if only the Democratic Congress was in charge of the Treasury Dept., the SEC, the Fed, or even the Commerce Dept.

Or if the Republican Senate rump didn't filibuster all Democratic legislation.

Or if Bush would have signed any Democratic legislation.

Or if Democrats in Congress did not do everything the Bush Administration asked of them to help head off the crisis, while Republicans sat on their fannies with eyes closed and fingers in their ears crying "no no no no there is no disaster the economy is fine I can't hear you!"

If any of those things were true, then you might actually have the wee, tiniest little beginnings of an argument.

Some of Jindal's Indian buddies just got caught selling dirty needles. " A North Carolina company is accused of bypassing sterilization tests for medical syringes in a cost-cutting move prosecutors say sickened hundreds of patients and led to five deaths...AM2PAT CEO Dushyant Patel has fled to his native India..."
*ALL* of the employees at this company were Indian H1-B "guest workers".
--http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29369892/

Jindal reportedly received at least $20,000 in campaign contributions from Indian nationals associated with this company. Jindal is also associated with the nutty "Indian Diaspora" movement, which among other things, sees Indian supremacy over the U.S. (i.e. we are Indian territory - and you thought KOZ was nuts) ...http://www.overseasindian.in/2008/october/america-index.shtml

On Friday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced that he would reject roughly $100 million in unemployment assistance from the federal recovery package, claiming the aid would lead to a tax hike on businesses. Jindal’s decision ensured that at least 25,000 unemployed Lousiana residents would not be eligible for unemployment insurance.

As the congressman representing parts of Lousiana devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Jindal actively sought assistance from the federal government. Yesterday on MSNBC’s Countdown, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) called the Republican Party a “heartless and insensitive organization” and criticized Jindal for rejecting the unemployment funds. Jindal, she noted, was singing a different tune about unemployment aid when Katrina hit his district:

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: This is a guy, who while I served with him in Congress, voted for that [unemployment] assistance twice, and is certainly willing to take funding from the federal when people are out of a job and out of their home as a result of a hurricane, but not willing to take that assistance when his constituents are out of a job and out of a home as a result of this economic crisis. I’m not sure what the difference is. A crisis is a crisis.

I think Soros is correct..this is the end of the Free Market Economy or Reagan's supply side theory...I also think Putin is right..that believing that government can exert a great influence over the economic tides ..is a myth.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

More and more republicans, including rank and file, governors and Senators, are realizing that the Conservative movement is a lie, a colossal failure, and worse than that, the driver behind the most catastrophic financial failure this country has ever seen -- and hence are rejecting this extreme, radical ideology.

Millions have lost their businesses, their homes, their jobs, everything -- due to the Republican control of government for the last 8 years.

The White House says President Barack Obama still has confidence in Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, despite the withering criticism that has come Geithner's way over the government's plan to rescue the financial industry.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that Obama "absolutely, 100 percent" has faith in his treasury secretary.

While some Republican governors have far-ranging concerns about the stimulus package, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) conceded today that few of them are going to be willing to leave federal assistance on the table.

Complaints about the package have focused largely on the three to four percent of the package devoted to unemployment insurance, Pawlenty told The Post in a joint interview with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) as the National Governor's Association winter meeting in the District wound up.

Still, there are plenty of programs in the overall package directed toward job creation and other issues that make it something worth swallowing, Pawlenty said. "We're not bashful about accepting our share of the money," Pawlenty said, adding later, "If you're paying the tab for the pizza, it's OK to have a slice even if there are some anchovies on it."

The stimulus bill is the single largest spending bill in the history of humankind and yet, Obama is running around telling everyone how he's going to cut the deficit in a few years. Obama claiming to be a deficit hawk -- that's like getting a lecture on honesty from Bill Clinton.

Barack Obama has already broken more campaign promises in a month than George Bush did in eight years. He's a living, breathing example of everything people hate about politics. He's habitually dishonest, will say anything if it benefits him politically, and he has already doled out more taxpayer money to his supporters via the stimulus bill than any politician in history.

leapin--
exactly. be thankful for what you have.
and if you can...make it better.
For i.e.: property values just came out in Phoenix. OMG. Do you know how hard Phoenix is hurting down here. 'Course, our Governor takes a hike and leaves us with Jan "i'll be late into the office because I have my Botox shot" Brewer.

i have taken another hit on property.
However, there's this wonderful thing call "appeals" on property values.
So I appealed. WIll hear within a week.

Find out what you can do ---- now. Yes, you may have to do a bit of running around, maybe research, etc., but please don't just hang out and think the answers will come and/or the "economy will shift" back. We are not shifting BACK folks.
It is important that we realize this. It is never going back to even what it was--
even last year.
another for i.e.: grocery shopping. do you really think you will EVER see $1.50 (sans sales) bread any more...any where????
Just last year, items in my cart were
---let's say 3 bucks a piece (counting them all out, etc to get a ballpark figure)
now--it's automatic - every piece in the shopping cart I count as 5 bucks.
Get my drift?????
What families can do that?

She baked five loaves and after they were finished she held them up for all of her neighbors to see. "Who shall help me eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.

"I will," said the cow. "I need to eat to make good milk and I don't have the time."
"I will," said the duck. "My welfare benefits don't provide bread."
"I will," said the pig. "I learned to eat in school."
"I will," said the goose. "If you don't give me any bread, that's discrimination."

But the little red hen said, "No, I made the bread I shall eat all five loaves." And she did.

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)

"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)

"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)

The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then Farmer Obama came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."

"But I worked hard and earned the bread," protested the little red hen.

"Exactly," said Barack the farmer. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government system, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who who are not productive. It is only fair."

The little red hen smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."

The little red hen never again baked bread but signed up for all the free stimulus bread joining her friends the cow, the duck, the pig and the goose. And one by one all the bread bakers stopped baking bread, following the example of their friend, the little red hen. And soon there was no more bread and everyone was hungry.

And all the Democrats smiled. Fairness and equality had been established and ruled the land.

Historically, the propensity of governments is to debase the currency. Americans now know what a sector collapse looks like. This chaos will continue for some time as businesses continue to cut back on inventories, production and numbers of employees or die altogether. This should cause alert people to see the urgent need to move quickly to protect what they have.

"We mentioned yesterday that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was hanging onto the political donations he received from accused billion-dollar fraudster Allen Stanford.

But hold on! Cornyn seems to have reconsidered. The senator announced today that $4,000 would be donated to charity to offset contributions received from Stanford's company.

It's unclear how the $4,000 number was settled on, since Cornyn has received nearly $20,000 in Stanford-linked donations since 2000. But as chairman of the oft-cash-strapped Senate GOP campaign committee, Cornyn may have a serious need to hold onto all the contributions he can.

This leaves Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) as the other notable holdout from returning Stanford donations. "

It looks like 3 times will not be a charm when it comes to getting someone - anyone - honest enough and subservient enough to run the Department of Commerce for President Obama. (Snip) Gary Locke - former Governor of Washington and now lobbyist for a firm that does a lot of business in China - who may have to be thrown under the bus. Why? The old Clinton-Gore connection to the Buddhists.

Not great for sure, but Bush did leave a huge mess to clean up that we're still looking for the bottom on (I'd give it another three months and maybe around 6700). Keep harping on that as a metric though, when it does turn around later this year you won't be able to take credit away from Obama once you've established that that's the best metric.

Since you have set that up as the metric to measure a President's success, let's compare that small sample with Dubya's market performance:

king_of_zouk wrote: "simple fact- the Dow is down 25 percent since messiah was elected."

Simple fact: the Dow dropped from 14000 to 8000 in Bush's last year in office. 6000 points.

What percent decline is that? Have you learned that math in school yet? How many points is the 25% you note above? Do you know? Hint: 25% of one is less than 25% of four. Can you figure it out? Can you compare the points Bush lost before January to those lost after? Can you translate that to market value lost before/after January? Or did Limbaugh skip over those little facts?

This decline this last month is just the continuing momentum of the Bush decline. It's hard to stop a safe in mid air after some fool dropped if off a skyscraper. But the American public has pretty well decided it wants Obama to try, and they are fine if he has to shove Bush and the GOP and fools like you under the safe in order to break its fall.

You can't even lie and misrepresent well. You might as well run for Congress as a Republican, because you'll never make anything of yourself in any profession the requires at least the illusion of credibility.

"A whopping 68 percent of the sample approved of the job Obama has done thus far while just 25 percent disapproved."

This is an interesting number and apparently everyone is drawing different conclusions from it. However, it far exceeds his margin of victory in the general election which is encouraging. The only mistake he has made, in my opinion - which may be corrected tomorrow evening - is failing to explain in more detail the actual extent of the economic damage that has been done and the challenges we face.

"History shows, however, that presidential popularity can be fleeting. In February of 1989 then President George H.W. Bush had more than three-quarters of voters (76 percent) approving of his handling of the job in Post/ABC polling..."

"The Republican governor of Utah on Monday said his party is blighted by leaders in Congress whose lack of new ideas renders them so "inconsequential" that he doesn't even bother to talk to them.

"I don't even know the congressional leadership," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, shrugging off questions about top congressional Republicans, including House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "I have not met them. I don't listen or read whatever it is they say because it is inconsequential - completely."

In a separate interview at The Times, House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, one of the party's chief message makers, said that Republican lawmakers have

-------improved their standing with voters by attacking waste in the economic stimulus package ---------LOL

even if rank-and-file Republicans can't agree to forgo earmarks - the pork-barrel spending projects despised by the electorate. Mr. Pence said such a move would benefit Americans and his party.

The back-and-forth underscored the leadership debate within their party. Mr. Huntsman called on national Republican leaders to show that they have alternatives and solutions, and Mr. Pence argued that congressional Republicans aren't as incompetent as they might appear."

but he doesn't dispute that they sure appear incompetent, does he?

LOL. Locked in the bubble/echo chamber, they have no clue as to the reality of their plummeting ratings.

broadway joe:
(((smiles)))
yeah, the "I'm stuck in the 1960(s) with my prejudices" repuslives -----
just hate hate hate hate
the fact that we have a Harvard educated lawyer, family man, happily married, with a higher IQ than your average Texan-----
that is
OMG - an African American!!!!
A brother from Chicago you say !!
Yeppers, I'm from Chicago and I'll take a brother from Chicago anyday!!!!
Along with the Rahm-A-Tolla.

"To all those critics of the stimulus bill and Obama in general - if you keep using such loaded buzzwords (with their imprecise, broad, rather subjective meanings), hyperbole (his presidency is the worst disaster ever!), and worst of all, allusions to revolution (new Boston tea party!), then please don't expect anyone who doesn't already think like you do to seriously consider anything that you have to say on the topic."
____________
Don't worry about it. BHO won 53%. Now that he has gotten his game on, as evidenced by his successful opening agenda (end to torture, stimulus plan, Gitmo closing, etc.), his approval is at 70%.

There's a 15% part of the US, including Rush (I hope Obama fails) Limbaugh, who will never accept BHO for invalid reasons we are all too familiar with. These are the same geniuses who said O's first act as POTUS would be to paint the White House black. They will not accept BHO under any circumstances which says more about them, than about BHO. Forget about them and instead celebrate the success of 44.

see the train wreck,
don't do anything about the train wreck;
blame the folks hurt by the train wreck...
for getting on the train in the first place.
While Baby Bush goes back to DA RANCH and buys Wd-40.

"Some of you would prefer to launch torpedoes at Rs and Ds forgetting that we are all in the same flotilla, if not the same boat."

You might want to pass that along to... on say, Eric Cantor and a few of his fellow naysayers...

And here is an excellent nomination, someone who might actually TRY to cut some of the billions in military spending that is waste, fraud and bloated contractor profits...

WASHINGTON - President Obama nominated yesterday Harvard professor Ashton B. Carter, a leading authority on arms control and a longtime academic, to serve as the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer.

The choice of Carter to run the office that oversees hundreds of billions of dollars for new weapons and research - and is the focus of intense lobbying by defense firms, retired generals, and members of Congress - sparked concern within the defense industry and parts of the Pentagon bureaucracy when it was first rumored last month.

But that may be exactly what Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates wanted.

Unlike most of his predecessors selected to be undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, Carter has no professional ties to America's arms makers or manufacturing industry, nor has he spent his career in government procurement.

Instead, from his perch at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Carter has been criticizing the Pentagon for buying too much armament it does not need, decrying what he calls a lack of discipline and "failure to take account of cost growth in weapons systems and defense services."

simple fact- the Dow is down 25 percent since messiah was elected. Those with an actual stake in the game have spoken. No confidence. Also no surprise. The amatuer is way over his head and all his crooked minions don't help.

McC served on a break-out group on mil procurement, an area in which he has demonstrated expertise and excellence. The Prez essentially agreed with McC about the helicopter and in no way did McC look doddering, or old, or foolish.

Some of you would prefer to launch torpedoes at Rs and Ds forgetting that we are all in the same flotilla, if not the same boat.

Perhaps a shining moment in the colloquy occurred when the Prez used mil procurement as an example of an issue upon which Rs and Ds could work together, b/c the waste issues were not ideological, they were state and regional issues about who gets contracts.

As soon as someone drops the words "Marxist", "communist", or "pork" on this message board, my eyes automatically begin to roll and I immediately stop reading that post and skip over to the next one because honestly, I don't think you have anything meaningful to say.

I am sure I'm not alone on this.

To all those critics of the stimulus bill and Obama in general - if you keep using such loaded buzzwords (with their imprecise, broad, rather subjective meanings), hyperbole (his presidency is the worst disaster ever!), and worst of all, allusions to revolution (new Boston tea party!), then please don't expect anyone who doesn't already think like you do to seriously consider anything that you have to say on the topic.

What you're seeing on this message board is an example of what is happening in the rest of the US; Republicans are talking very, very loudly using very heated rhetoric - but only to themselves, nearly everyone else is simply ignoring it.

If conservatives/the GOP want others to listen then they need to take ownership of their role in this disaster without trying to do stuff like say, blame this entire mess on Chris Dodd, Barney Frank.

The Republicans controlled the White House for the past 8 years and congress for most of that time and so to deny any responsible for this mess and to blame much of it on Obama after being in office for little over a month is an insult to thinking people everywhere.

Frankly, such things make you seem ridiculous and it is a major reason why no one else is listening to you.

"President George W. Bush had a approval rating in the mid-60's in the first few months of his 2nd term."

Ridiculous rantings about Obama's "Marxist" agenda aside, your facts are wrong. Bush never had mid-60s ratings even in the first few months of his second term (early 2005); they were usually around 50% and at best in the mid-50s.

And that was short-lived; I don't think he ever hit 50% again after May 2005, or even 40% after fall 2006.

President Barack Obama, to Mr. McCain quote...
"You know, he and I had very good debates about these issue's,"Obama said- an understatement to be sure and one that drew laughter. He also praised the Arizona senator as "extraordinary consistant and sincere about these issue's.

McCain, quote....
"Well, thank you, Mr. President," McCain said and quickly delved into the issue of cost overuns on large government buys. "Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One."

In the past few days, a number of national polls have been conducted that measure President Obama’s performance after one month in office. Beyond Obama’s continuing high job approval rating, the polls have found that the public believes Obama has made a good faith effort to work in a bipartisan manner to address America’s problems:

WaPo/ABC News: 73 percent say Obama is “trying to compromise with the Republican leaders in Congress” while just 34 percent believe Republican leaders are trying to compromise with Obama.

NYT/CBS News: 74 percent think Obama is “trying to work with Republicans in Congress” while just 31 percent think Republicans in Congress are trying to work with Obama.

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics: 68 percent believe that Obama “has sincerely tried to reach out to Republicans and be bipartisan” while only 33 percent believe Republicans have “sincerely tried to be helpful to Barack Obama and be bipartisan.”

As Greg Sargent points out, the New York Times/CBS News poll had a particularly interesting finding regarding bipartisanship. According to the poll, “a sizable majority wants Obama to pursue his policies with or without Republican support” while “a huge majority says that Republicans should emphasize working with Obama in a bipartisan way over pursuing their policy ideas.”

re. Barack Obama's "whopping" 68% approval numbers.
It's no big deal nor unusual for a incoming president to have high approval numbers. President George W. Bush had a approval rating in the mid-60's in the first few months of his 2nd term. I suspect that Barack Obama's approval numbers in about two years, when his Marxist agenda takes hold and our economy hits rock bottom, will be in the 20% area. Right now a 68% rating is meaningless since he's accomplished and done nothing but empty promises.

"'The helicopter I have seems perfectly adequate to me.' -- President Obama offers his thoughts on building a new presidential helicopter in closing remarks at yesterday's fiscal responsibility summit."

AND made John McCain look like a doddering old fool for taking valuable time to ask about this.

Another Washington Post poll I will not believe. The markets are tanking and every time Obama or any of this tax cheating cabinet members talk, they tank more. I guess we're seeing more of the leftist media covering for Obama - just like during the campaign.

So, Michael Steele, in order to warp the will of the voters, plans to punish anyone who vote against party orthodoxy. .. Sounds a whole lot like the old communist regime, doesn't it? It's amazing how much the R's are sounding like commies today. Red diaper republicans...

"Yesterday on Fox News, RNC Chairman Michael Steele said he was open to withholding RNC funds from Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Arlen Specter (R-PA) because they voted for Obama’s economic recovery package. “I’m always open to everything baby,” he told host Neil Cavuto. If state parties want to enact retribution against those Senators, then the RNC will follow their lead, Steele explained. :

Steele said his solution for the economic crisis is to put in place a spending freeze. Republicans are quickly rallying around the old Hoover agenda of enacting a spending freeze in the midst of a recession. As Ezra Klein has written, “Even the most casual interaction with basic economic principles suggests that during times of recession, government spending should increase in order to stimulate demand."

It seems Conservative Republicans have chosen to work on preserving and stabilizing their conservative principles, rather than working on helping to stablize the economy or to preserve the American dream of homeownership. Conservatives want less government, less taxes and people to return to Christian values. But they decry government for not doing something to prevent their food or consumer products from being tainted with bacteria and lead. They focus on the Commandment Thou shall not kill with their pro life views but ignore the Commandments of Love thy neighbor and Thou shall not steal when they oppose social programs and when they deregulated Wall Street, banks and others like Bernie Madoff allowing them to steal billions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans. Your actions speak louder than your words. Right now your inactions show you don't care about the suffering of your neighbors. Oh I'm sorry you interpret your neighbor literally as only those who live in the mansion next to yours.

Middle class America is the foundation of our nation. The are like the fulcrum of the balance beam. Without a middle class our nation will be made up of the extremely poor or the extremely wealthy. This is not what America is about. We were founded under the enlightened principles of citizenship and inalienable rights but
it seems if we are regressing, to the old French government structure of an absolute monarchy (maybe this is the Bush family intent to become the monarchial family), with feudal privileges for the aristocracy (the rich CEO's)and the Catholic clergy (Evangelical conservative leaders). Republicans would do well to remember what happened in the French Revolution, all the serfs will rise up against you.

No Lock on Locke Nomination!
The state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) investigated Gov. Gary Locke's 1996 visits to a Redmond Buddhist temple where he collected thousands in campaign donations from impoverished monks.

During my break I quickly read through these and saw that someone blamed RWR health care policy for the increased numbers of homeless.

I respectfully suggest that the increased number of homeless, from some unspecified baseline, is largely an unintended consequence of Addington v. Texas. In that case, the Supremes ruled that due process prohibited civil commitments of persons who are not a threat to themselves or others.

for all the folks that are b**ching to high heaven and back,
perhaps you should thank God that you are still around---you know that basic daily bread STUFF.

or wait....wait for the press report on how your neighbor blew away their whole family because of the rough financial times they are facing!!!!! Nah, won't be catching those press stories hangin' out any longer. The networks have been told not to run "the sad stuff". Won't be hearing about how 5000 families went homeless in Phoenix last month and we can't feed them down here. But our wonderful "ignorant of the law" opinions and attitudes will prevail in the midst of it all because we are a NEW society that likes the blood on the floor!!!

And if you want to continue to b**ch and downgrade President Obama more, then get involved. The HR1 bill has 144 billion dollars going to state & local fiscal rebuilding.
What is your state getting? What politicians of YOUR state are going to fiddle while Rome burns? Or get 87,000 area rugs for their new capital office. What will your state do? It's your own backyard.
In fact, legislation is in session as we speak. Has anyone (like king with all his venom) EVEN logged onto your own state's legislative website to see what THEY are doing with HR1 money????

here's that zouk cartoon again. It's so dead on, it's eerie...maybe the cartoonist knows him. Or maybe he's just one of a thousand dittoheads. Limbaugh's fans are proud to be called 'dittoheads.' Tells you everything you need to know, doesn't it?

well king, 8 years of Bush's walking disaster, and look what happened.
Can't blame this on anyone else but Bush and his administration.
But, as in most of the repulsive society of this present day, you simply
must must must
find a way to blame someone else.
And President Obama is in your line of sight.
Isn't blaming someone else, the good old boy way, the Repulsive way???
Or as in Cantor - watch the train wreck, do nothing about the train wreck, and then blame the people that are hurt FROM said train wreck....for getting on the train.
Thanks---gee whiz, now that is
soooooooo logical !

I truly wish it were otherwise, but Obama's popularity is going to drop like a rock from hereon out. His disasterous cabinet choices, a collection of utterly incompetent fools like Geithner and Summers, and, now, apparently Locke; his abandonment of his campaign promises, especially free trade; and a whole series of missteps, vetting problems, making and breaking ethical rules; have all gone to wreck his Presidency. Sure there is some good will, but it is mostly hope and that will fade as more jobs disappear, as outsourcing accelerates, as the banks and Wall Street and corporate crooks mis-spend or otherwise frauduently use the stimulus appropriations, as the economy gets worse and worse. Sure, he inherited this mess from Bush, but by nit keeping to his promises to curtail outsourcing and end the H10B and other guest worker visas, he ventured out on his own, out on a limb that will fail and he will fall.

no amount of cold reality will intrude on drivl and it's moonbattery gullibility. The new admin is a walking disaster. The Dow is cratering. Jobs are disssppearing. Time for another long, boring vacuuous stump speech. The only question is, will it be fear and blame or hope and change.

I like to have a president who works, and I like to have a president who thinks about the future, not just the next election. The four years term is the glory of democracy, but it often bars politicians from doing unpleasant things and thinking long term. Will all his proposals work out? I have no idea, and not many of us know the answer, despite all the sanguine assertions we see here.

We concede the stimulus package will not help king_of_kook. As strong as the bill is, not even Milton Friedman could figure a way for its benefits to trickle down to someone living in their parents' basement...allegedly. But we'll work on it...

The Post's polls results are consistent with those of today's DailyKos poll showing BHO with 69% support.

BHO's strategy, begun during the campaign, of ignoring the bloviators inside the Beltway, and communicating directly with the people via email and new media (HuffPo, Rachel Maddow, etc.) is clearly working. The GOP's moderate governors are starting to pull for BHO's stimulus package, e.g., the governors of Florida and Utah, and against the GOP obstructionists (Mac, Jindal, Rush-bo, etc.). Only Deep South States (Louisiana, Mississippi) -- now the GOP base -- seem to be buying into the irrational stimulus bashing.

Regardless of whether his package works (O can't control that, no one can), BHO plainly has won this battle and maybe the war.

BHO polls would be even better were it not for the misinformation from hate broadcasting. Hasn't anyone on Capitol Hill typed up a Fairness Doctrine bill to drop in the hopper?

I think the strangest poster boy the GOP could have picked is Jindal. He makes me think of the slums of India from our newest Oscar winner, Slumdog Millionaire. And I make the connection between Jindal who does not care about the unemployed, with the vision the GOP have of the rich getting richer and the middle class getting poorer which is exemplified by their tax plan, their focus on deregulation, their opposition to government and social security. Yes, Jindal makes the connection with America turning into a third world country full of slums and dire poverty and no government to give a helping hand. Yes, Jindal... the Indian-American President to help the GOP continue its war on the middle class so soon we can all live like slumdogs.

So, the media now blame Obama for a lack of "hope speak." You know he would be attacked if he was speaking hope. They would say he wasn't honest in such a dire situation. The GOP should be honest. They are the ones who are talking up nationalization. It is their latest strategy to make America. That is their secret slogan... keep things going south, including the stock market and when things are bad enough the people will turn to us is the GOP plan.

"It would have been more interesting to have asked whether they trusted Obama OR Congress rather than Obama or Republicans IN Congress. It seems to me that there is a considerable difference between what the Obama team want and what the Reid/Pelosi Democratic Leadership in Congress want."

Stupid comment. There is far, far less difference between what Obama wants and what Reid/Pelosi want than between what Obama wants and congressional GOPers want.

I like to have a president who works, and I like to have a president who thinks about the future, not just the next election. The four years term is the glory of democracy, but it often bars politicians from doing unpleasant things and thinking long term. Will all his proposals work out? I have no idea, and not many of us know the answer, despite all the sanguine assertions we see here.

I doubt the poll results are credible. Either the pool was tilted toward a desired result, or there are going to be some very disappointed Obamaites when they finally realize how they've been had.

The sad part about these type of polls is that they will embolden the arrogant egotist to do more harm than he has already done.

I won't waste my time preaching to a group of people who refuse to see reality. It'll all be obvious soon enough.

Posted by: sully808 | February 24, 2009 9:30 AM |
------------------------------------------------
Just because the polls don't support the incessantly negative Republican mantra that President Obama is "bad for the country" (that's the nice version), doesn't mean that they're not credible. In fact, since three separate polls seem to correlate with each other, it suggests that their numbers are more likely right than not. If anything, that gives these polls INCREASED credibility; it certainly does not give them less.

The bottom line is that, no matter how you spin it, the nation absolutely does NOT support the Republican opposition efforts. These polls consistently show Republican approval and favorability ratings to be abysmally low.

So, the take away for Republicans should be this: Although the Republicans want Obama to fail, the rest of the nation absolutely does not share that misguided sentiment. (I mean, why would ANYONE want the President of the United States, the leader of the country in which you live, to fail?!) The rest of the nation wants him to succeed. And, not only that, they think that what he's doing will help this nation to move forward, and they want to see Republicans working, constructively, WITH our President -- not blindly opposing everything that he does simply for political point-scoring.

Americans don't want politics right now. They want results. The nation would be better served if Republicans understood and acknowledged that.

Re the Post by: aelemay | February 24, 2009 8:26 AM -- You could take your funny act on stage, except that it is so unoriginal. Try thinking for yourself if you can, rather than simply spewing dittohead vomit coming straight from the foul mouth of Rush Limbaugh.

My fourth and last post on a Prez who has done remarkably well but seems to hav a blind spot about the Big Zombie banks where Geithner and Summers block his view. Even Eugene Robinson, with no economic credentials wonders:

"Some financial-sector stocks perked up yesterday on reports that the Treasury was "open" to a proposal from Citigroup that the Treasury effectively take more ownership of the bank but stop short of full nationalization. It's understandable that investors would be heartened by the prospect that the money they already have in Citigroup wouldn't be completely wiped out by a government takeover. But I think my reaction is closer to that of the average citizen: What standing does Citigroup have to propose anything?"

Reorganize Citi and BOA and tell Geithner and Summers to get with that program. I realize taht some of hte bidders for the two banks' good pieces coming out of reorg will be Arabs, Chinese, and Putin. But there are thousands of healthy American banks, believe it or not, and they would all bid on the healthy operations of these giants, too. A friend tells me that Citi's organizational chart, in 12 point type, would cover a major league ballpark's outfield. That is not "too big to fail". That is just "too big".

"Asked whether they trusted Obama or Republicans in Congress to do a better job of handling the economy, six in ten (61 percent) sided with the chief executive while roughly one in four (26 percent) opted for congressional GOPers."

It would have been more interesting to have asked whether they trusted Obama OR Congress rather than Obama or Republicans IN Congress. It seems to me that there is a considerable difference between what the Obama team want and what the Reid/Pelosi Democratic Leadership in Congress want.

Trust WP, though, to fiddle the questions in their poll to get the answers they want rather than trying to be honest.

RobT1 - If you're curious, just look at the historical data for the early 80's under Reagan. Inherited stagflation, a clampdown by the Fed led to a brutal recession, and won re-election with, umm, 49 states. The sole exception being Mondale's home state. I'm sure that Palin will carry Alaska.

Similar idea with stimulus from tax cuts and a massive upswing in spending. It's just that it was defense spending back then.

hold the phone...THIS is not President Obama's fault and no amount of time (say 3.5 years from now ready for re-election) will change that.
People are expecting this mess to turn around in 90 days. By summer time.
No way Jose. Best get used to not going to 12 dollar movies anymore with a stop over at Applebee's folks.
And what will that do to your "quality of life". You make it what it is.
Heaven forbid if your kid doesn't get the newest Madden football for Christmas this year. Wow, my heart breaks.
And if it doesn't "turn" in 100 days, watch out President - the fallout is on you!
I am a more logical smart American to know that President Obama is not the cause and will not PURPOSELY run this country down.
What about you?

Be interesting to see how those poll numbers hold up as the recession drags on despite the porkulus and Obama takes full responsibility for the economy and can no longer blame Bush. I think Obama's poll number are artificially high because people in this country are afraid of where the economy is going and if they are going to keep their jobs, so they put a lot of hope into Obama magically turning things around even though a lot of people don't necessarily support nationalization of banks and other socialist Obama policies.

"The real question is why the Obama administration keeps coming up with proposals that sound like possible alternatives to nationalization, but turn out to involve huge handouts to bank stockholders.

But what we have now isn’t private enterprise, it’s lemon socialism: banks get the upside but taxpayers bear the risks. And it’s perpetuating zombie banks, blocking economic recovery."

Geithner-Summers are too close to the Wall Street bankers and the Prez's reliance on them may cost us a fortune. Citibank's request to its regulators to convert the USA preferred position to common stock is
"lemon socialism" as described by Krugman. Force Citi into reorg. Force BOA into reorg. Use the RTC model as it developed to hold the bad assets until they can be sold in an orderly fashion. Sell the good pieces of Citi and BOA to new investors. WaMu was the biggest bank reorg in history and did not cost taxpayers a cent. Remember?

Republicans always cry that taxing business will mean no money for new jobs. But business taxes are only on PROFITS. Payroll is an expense that is taken out before taxes are figured. Similarly, investment in new equipment is DEDUCTIBLE.

Giving working people a tax cut, and removing loopholes for hedge fund managers and other fat cats is a good thing.

I find the poll numbers very believable. Note that the approval numbers overall have fallen slightly, and that is almost entirely due to falling approval among the GOP. This reflects, I think, a hesitance by Republicans to admit their disapproval before the inauguration.

President Obama and his legions of supporters can take great comfort in the knowledge that the current crop of non- Obama supporters are the same labatomized lab rats that voted for gw bush. Enough said.

I hope this guy has taken a lesson or two regarding the key function of the POUS; that is to build confidence in our people, our industry, and our allies. Every time Obozzo opens his mouth, the market drops another 3%.

Maybe he should do us a favor; instead of pretending to be President just hand over the reigns to Hillary - his entire administration is Clinton II anyway.

Pollsters can get any answer they want, and the approval numbers seem unbelievable.

So far, Obama has paid back his campaign supporters, rolled back welfare reform, stampeded the Congress into signing a bill which they have not read, put Government controls on Doctors, and has spent money at such a rate that he makes drunken sailors look frugal.

He has taken the side of the Palestinians against Israel, appointed Israel haters to high posts, appointed a black racist as Attorney General, made a fool of himself diplomatically with Iran and Hamas, politicized the Census Bureau in contravention of the Constitution, appointed so many White House staff people to override the Cabinet Officers, ignored all advice on the economy, and has shown his arrogance by repeatedly saying "I won" when challenged to explain his decisions.

Now, he is saying he will cut the deficit in half, mostly by raising taxes on the business owners and investors. Oh sure, they won't have the money to invest in expansion, hiring people and growing. So, no jobs means no confidence in the market, and increased deficits. Since he was nominated the financial markets have plunged because of his policies.

He is poison to the economy because he is anti-business, anti-capitalist, and he conducted an election campaign which was unethical, committed illegal acts, voter fraud, and even now it is unknown just how much money was contributed by foreigners who could well be America's enemies.

He refers to the Constitution as an old outdated piece of paper. He intends to curtail our free speech rights with community activists on radio station programming boards, and trample on our rights to private property in order to give it to minorities.

He says he is giving a tax cut while planning the largest tax increase in history. There is nothing he says which can be believed. It seems he makes impossible promises and actually believes that saying it will make it so.

He is unfit to be President and he will bring the country to a Depression if he does not start thinking about the consequences of his acts.

We have nothing to fear except Obama himself. We are just in the beginning of the Obama Depression and it will get much worse as long as he is President -- because he is like a ventriloquist's dummy, all flash but there is nothing there.